Sports bring people together and help shape the culture of a community. Sometimes, sports can divide people and disrupt the community. If you’re interested in how sports and sporting events help form unique value systems, come join The Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) and artist Mike Durkin as they present the final segment of S-P-O-R-T-S-P-L-A-Y, a free installation performance on April 23 from 1-4 p.m.
Modeled after the tailgate experience that occurs near Kyle Field, S-P-O-R-T-S-P-L-A-Y includes a combination of athletic movements, dance, storytelling and activities that highlight both the way sports can bring people together, creating bonds and relationships, but can also create an “us vs. them” mentality, causing division. The AVPA website mentions that one goal of the event is to build our sense of the BCS community, stating, “Through sports as a catalyst for change, we will view sports through social, racial, and political lenses to find common ground.”
The April 23 performance is the culminating event examining how communities, culture, and football intersect that began in the fall of 2021. Multidisciplinary artist Mike Durkin created this performance project, and the AVPA, along with other partners across campus, developed it. Durkin has presented various installments of S-P-O-R-T-S-P-L-A-Y throughout the country, and you can view some of these here.
Over the last year, the BCS version of S-P-O-R-T-S-P-L-A-Y has blended community dialogue through improvisation, interviews, photography and videos, and this final segment will culminate in a performance in the Liberal Arts and Humanities Building Courtyard on the TAMU campus.
For more information on Durkin, S-P-O-R-T-S-P-L-A-Y or AVPA, make sure to visit their websites.
